Project SEARCH Volusia County 2018

History of Project SEARCH Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 1996. Erin Riehle was Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department and Susie Rutkowski, Special Education Director at Great Oaks Career Campuses. Erin and Susie formed a partnership that was instantaneous, and together they launched Project SEARCH. Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children’s to a large and continuously expanding international network of sites. Project SEARCH’s primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities

Project SEARCH Requirements Student Selection MOU Open House School Coding IEP’s, etc.

Volusia County Project SEARCH Project SEARCH@Halifax Hospital 2016 on east side of Volusia Project SEARCH@Stetson University 2017 on west side of Volusia

Project SEARCH@Halifax Health Staff Instructor - Volusia County Schools Patty Snyder Employment Specialist - Volusia County Schools Vickie Parnell Skills Trainer - Progressive Abilities Support Services Braandon Davis Business Liaison - Halifax Health W.G. Watts

Project SEARCH@Stetson University Instructor - Volusia County Schools Karen Hook Employment Specialist - Volusia County Schools Donna Kehrley Skills trainer - Progressive Abilities Support Services Maggie Fraga Business Liaison – Stetson University Kevin Winchell

Project SEARCH Program Description One year program (aligns with Volusia County Schools calendar) 10 - 12 interns (average) Individuals with a variety of disabilities Rotation through 3 unpaid internships with continual feedback to gain/increase job skills Consistent on-site staff provided by service agencies Outcome of competitive employment

Basic Eligibility Guidelines Students in their last year of public education with a variety of disabilities Appropriate hygiene, social and communication skills Ability to take direction and change behavior Access public transportation(Votran or Votran-Gold) Pass drug screen, background check, immunizations - whatever is required of other employees Desire to Work!

Program Goal Competitive employment for each Project SEARCH intern 16 hours a week or more Minimum wage or better Integrated Setting Non-Seasonal Bonus Activities Achieved: Culture change at the host business as the work skills of young adults with disabilities are recognized Publicly funded systems working together

Project SEARCH Curriculum Team Building Interviewing Skills Social Skills Explore transportation options Self-Advocacy Skills Workplace Safety Technology in the workplace Personal Finance Nutrition and Wellness Job Search Mock Interviews Resume Building Project SEARCH Curriculum

Project SEARCH Schedule 8:00 Classroom Time/Employability Skills 9:00 Worksites 11:30 Lunch 12:00 Worksites 2:00 Review, Reflect, Plan 2:30 Depart Project SEARCH Schedule

Project SEARCH @Halifax Health

Rotations Brooks Rehab Center Dietary- Special Functions Hostess /Dietary Aide  Environmental Services –  Housekeeping Dietary -Food Prep  Supply Processing & Distribution (SPD)   Emergency Room (ER)  Patient Access NICU- 2nd Floor Health Information Management (HIM) Laundry Lab CPCT Receiving

Project SEARCH @ Stetson University

Rotations Center for Community Engagement-Office Assistants Parent & Alumni Engagement Hollis Recreation and Wellness Residential Living and Learning- Building Appearance Assistants & Digital Conversion Project Bookstore World Center for International Learning Academic Success and Accessibility- Digital Conversion Project Marketing Lynn Business Center- Work Study Student Counseling Services and Wellness Dining Services Rotations

Research Indications Work-Based Learning Promotes: Problem Solving Adult Thinking processes Team work Social relationships Flexibility

Employment Planning Meetings Held once or twice a rotation Interns lead the meetings to discuss their progress Interns Team:  Intern’s Parents/Guardians VCS Instructor  Job Coaches  PASS Project SEARCH Area Supervisor  Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor  Halifax Health Business Liaison  Department Supervisor or Mentor  VCS Instructional Specialist

Internships s Build competitive, marketable, transferable skills 4 – 5 hours each day 10-12 weeks/flexible Work and social skills Multi-faceted evaluation Internships s

Project SEARCH@Halifax Health

Project SEARCH@ Stetson University

Volusia County Schools Cathy Galotti Instructional Specialist cgalotti@volusia.k12.fl.us Karen Hook Instructor KIHOOK@volusia.k12.fl.us Patricia Snyder Instructor pasnyder@Volusia.k12.fl.us Donna Kehrley Employment Specialist dmkehrle@volusia.k12.fl.us Vickie Parnell VLPARNEL@Volusia.k12.fl.us Volusia County Schools

Progressive Abilities Support Services Jim Atkinson Chief Executive Officer jatkinson@progressiveabilities.org Kim Cherry Project Search Coordinator kcherry@progressiveabilities.org Progressive Abilities Support Services Braandon Davis Skills Trainer bdavis@progressiveabilities.org Maggie Fraga mfraga@progessiveabilities.org